well, i have to do it. i have to drive the cobalt in the snow this year. i'm gonna get
some 17" wheels. big question is how big of a sidewall can i go? oe is a 40 (225/40/18)
. will i run into fenderwell clearance issues if i go up to a 50, or even all the way up to a
65? i was thinking of general altimax artic tires. either 205/50/17 or 215/65/17.
would the 65's clear the fenders? i always heard that you want a tall skinny tire for mud and snow traction. lol. also i am not worried about tire pressure sensors or my speedometer being off. these tires can also be studded. would you stud all four, or only the front ones? thanks in advance for any advice. -skip.

 

I rubbed on a 225-50-17. So don't go that big. IMO go with a 205-50-17, skinnier tires are better in the snow. A 215-65 will rub for SURE. If you're going to stud them, stud all four. You ALWAYS want to match all 4 tires on your car.

 

i currently bought cheap 16 inch steelies for my car with firestone winterforce tires. they areeee... 215/55/16 and are great. no and pretty ******* beast in the snow. we had maybe 2 inches here the other day so i went out it was NIGHT and DAY from my summer tires i used last year. ha. snows are HIGHLY recommended. and as gay as ur car will look, the post above me is correct. the skinnier the tire the better in the snow. i kinda wish i slurged and get cheap wheels instead of steelies tho but i got an amazing deal on these tires.

 

thanks for the info. the sizes they have in stock are 215/45/17 and 215/55/17 and
215/60/17. looks like 215/45/17's huh? i just wanted the tallest sidewall i can fit.

 

I have 205/50/17 with 17" rims from the SS NA and the tires are uniroyal tiger paw and they work great.

 

Bridgestone blizzaks ftw! Hands down best winter tire I've ever owned. How wide are the 17's u have? If they're 7" wide I'd go with 205/50/17.

 

i'm running 215/55/17 and not much room but it will go through some ****.

 

haha i hate those ******* tires. i work at toyota and see those things ALL the time. cheapest **** ever. ha

 

yea blizzaks are pretty pimp ha. but from wat ive experienced, the firestone winterforces and blizzaks are close to similar in performance but way different in price. im running winterforce tires right now and theyre pretty sick.

 

215/55/17

 

I'm pretty happy with my General alitmax artics I have now, they do really good in the snow. I had a set of mastercraft glacier grip IIs on my balt and they did a fantastic job

 

altimax tires are a pretty good cheaper snow tire aswell. i see those where i work alot aswell. probobly most often next to blizzaks

 

they have good grip

 

so 215/55/17's will clear?? if so, thats what im gonna run

 

how is the front tire clearance? steering and such? i am a stock suspension 4 door, would there be any difference?

 

I'm on stance coilovers jacked up lol but you should be fine. I'll go out in a bit and take a pic to show you how close it is to the wheel well in the front.

 

Its a 26" tire IIRC

We just got a bunch of snow so its covered in **** lol

 

215/50/17 i have cooper wintermasters or winterforces i forget the name but its one of the 2. i got them for 100per tire. pretty damn tready ^^

the only thing that rubs a little are my mudflaps. we got 2 inches of snow here today and i didnt have my winter tires on. i put my winter tires on about an hour ago and this was the first time i drove my car with the winter tires on and holy ****. night and day difference.

if your getting a 2nd set of wheels just for winter and you get IRL wheels. SPACERS!!
i bought mine from CED and payed a machine shop to mill them down from 6.5MM to 4MM.golden

 

thanks for the pics donkey. 215/55/17's it is!

 

I picked up a set of 17" ss/na wheels and just ordered 4 continental extreme winter contact in a 205/50/17. That was the best size interns of not changing the speedo